Jan 28,1986 Challenger anniversary

[428FE]

Seems like yesterday. I watched it live on TV.

[TheSilverBuick]

And yesterday was the anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire, killing three astronauts.

[BOOOGHAR]

I was a freshman in science class watching it live on tv .... a majority of the student population at the school I went to, thier parents either worked for NASA or a NASA contractor, it devasted the community, we had no idea what was going to happen with the space program after that, the kids at school were all gossiping what they heard thier parents talk about who worked in the space program, hell i knew more bout what was going on inside that fence that surrounds NASA than most people who worked there just be listening to them

[Barry Donovan]

I was watching live too.
I was 13. birthday was 3 days prior.

a january baby in a class of 12 year olds. It may have altered my life.

[ls7gto]

I was working as a tech at a Continental linc/merc . We all gathered around to watch the launch.... Needless to say it was a quiet somber mood in the shop the rest of the day. Feels Like it was just yesterday.

[Scott Liggett]

I got called out of study hall my senior year by the nurse cause I was skipping taking my meds. After I told her off for being a nanny I saw the launch in the office on the TV. Saw the explosion. The office went silent. I went back to study hall and told Mr Melcher what happened. He accused me of lying and gave me detention. Five minutes later, the Principle came over the school PA to announce what happened. As I left class, I told that schmuck Melcher I wouldn't being in detention.

[Cyclone03]

March AFB Ca. We just launched 3 T38's,cleaned up the ramp and started back into the flight shack when they turned around and came back,we parked them, and all 6 crew members ran into the flight shack, we followed,WTF? The TV was on and we caught the replays. We put the aircraft to bed for the day. I don't remember which crew members,but some of our guys knew them well.From Oct '85 to Jan. '86 we met the the whole crew,they came in on NASA T-38's,then went on thier way. It was very sad KNOWING you watched somebody you had met lose thier life.

[pdub]

I was 20-something, working night shift. About to go to bed in the morning when the news flash came on the TV. I cried like a baby. That was awful.

[studemax]

I was working in my guitar repair shop, deep into some old Martin. Had the radio on. My apprentice said, "Hey, they said the space shuttle just blew up". I went out front, and repeated the same thing. Everybody looked at me like I was nuts. I repeated myself. The store owner reached over and clicked on his radio. The electronics guy ALWAYS went home to watch every launch, and for some reason that day he went to work. He left immediately and didn't come back until the next day...

I was really busy that day - just swamped, and had supper after work with a friend. Didn't get home until midnight, and finally sat down to watch the video. Must have stayed up for 3 hours or more watching Challenger blow up over and over and over...

[SuperBuickGuy]

I was a freshman in college. Someone said to me as I was walking across campus, that the shuttle blew up. I didn't believe them. Got to the cafeteria, and watched the replays... the shuttle was supposed to make going into space "easy" and "affordable." That was the day they found out it was neither.

[antmnte]

Just left Gym in 8th grade. I can remember that like yesterday.

[DanStokes]

It was my 39th. birthday. A bunch of us from work had gone out to Chili's in Ann Arbor for lunch. When we walked into the place everyone was packed into the bar where the TV was and they were just showing the replay for the first time (I think). Happy Birthday - pretty well shot our celebration in the butt. My birthday has never been as happy since then - it kind of ruined that date for me.

RIP to those brave men and women
Dan

[realsteelfreak]

I was working for NAPA at the time, I had just come by the Capitol in Charleston Wv in the company truck and heard this on the radio, sad day indeed.

[Whelk]

I was in college at the time. I was watching the launch live on TV when it exploded, and missed the rest of my classes that day to monitor the coverage.

A few years later I was stationed on a Navy frigate that had been heavily involved in the recovery ops afterward. Because of the Challenger disaster it was policy for the Navy to station several ships under the flightpath of the shuttle. From a hundred miles out you can see the shuttles fly, and after a delay you could even hear the roar of the engines.